Waterfronts Florida

The Waterfronts Florida Partnership Program was created by the Florida Coastal Management Program in 1997 to address the physical and economic decline of traditional working waterfront areas.

The Downtown Redevelopment Area was selected as a Waterfronts Florida Partnership Community by the State of Florida in 2009 to receive a two-year technical assistance grant. After the designation, Fort Myers received intensive technical assistance and limited financial assistance from the State of Florida Department of Community Affairs.

During that the period from 2009-2011, the Fort Myers Waterfronts Partnership Committee was established to create a community-designed vision plan or special area management plan to guide the revitalization of the community's designated waterfronts area. Preserving public access to the river, protecting the environment, preparing for natural hazards to the waterfronts area and providing support to its businesses were key areas of focus within the plan.

The designated waterfronts area within Fort Myers matches the boundaries of the Downtown Redevelopment Area with the addition of the Edison Ford Winter Estates property and a portion of Billy's Creek, a filter marsh and creek which acts as a boundary for the Downtown Area.

A copy of the Vision Plan may be viewed by visiting the Resources Page on the menu to the left.